Introducing...Amber Bland
Amber Bland. Does the name sound familiar? Well, for Big Ten enthusiasts, the name should sound familiar. Bland is a guard from North Carolina A&T, making it big in the world of mid majors. But that's not how it always was. Bland began her career at Penn State, where she was expected to fill the shoes of Kelly Mazzante. During the whole Rene Portland saga, Bland decided that she, too, would transfer. Bland was the third Lady Lion to leave the program, and that's what brought her to North Carolina. The Aggies welcomed Bland with open arms. She's been one of the better players that area has ever seen, setting single season scoring records. Bland has garnered multiple awards, and have drained many jumpers on opponents all over the nation. Patricia Bibbs, head coach at NC A&T, thinks this is Amber's chance to get in the spotlight. The Aggies are odds on favorites to get to the NCAAs via an automatic birth, and anything less would be disappointing. "Amber is loaded with so much talent,” said Bibbs. “I think sometimes Amber doesn’t know how talented she is. She gives so much so much on the court. But I told her, ‘it would be a travesty for you not to take your team to the NCAA tournament.’ I know sometimes it doesn’t happen, but she is the kind of player that can make it happen.”

Introducing...Krystal Ellis

Krystal Ellis, despite being one of the more explosive scorers nationally, is also one of the least talked about players. Seriously, if Ellis' name were to appear in a dictionary, it would be on the page that features the term 'underrated.' Marquette  has never really been known as a women's basketball power, but since Ellis arrived, they've been making noise. Since her arrival, The Golden Eagles have been on the fast track to success. Marquette is coming off of a WNIT title and two years ago, Marquette made the NCAA Tournament, eventually falling to Oklahoma. Ellis has had some memorable scoring performances, including putting down 31 against a Top 25 Wisconsin, and 40 on Kentucky in the WNIT. But while numbers are nice, Ellis has more on her mind. "It'll be exciting to break the record but I'm more focused on winning a national championship, actually," Ellis said. "I'm really excited about getting back to the NCAA tournament again, because that's the biggest goal of all. I can set all the records and everything, but I just want to win." Now a senior, Krystal has had to step in as a leader, something that has not always come naturally to her. But still, Ellis has had quite a part in Marquette's history. She will go down as one of the better players to ever play there, and hopefully she'll get the national credit she deserves.

WNBA Prospect of the Week (12/15-12/28)

Over the holiday season, Shavonte Zellous, the 5'10" Pittsburgh guard, picked up her second WNBA Draft Net Prospect of the Week award. In a span of two weeks, Zellous' Panthers went 2-1, only losing to a ranked Florida Gators team. The Panther's easily beat Wagner and Florida A&M, also. In the loss against Florida, Zellous went off, scoring a career-high 42 points on 54% shooting, while also dishing out 6 assists and pulling down 4 rebounds. For the two weeks, Zellous averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. She also shot, on average, 53% from the floor, 55% from the three point line, and 87% from the charity stripe. This is Zellous' second Prospect of the Week Award.

 Also considered: Sha Brooks, Chante Black, Lyndra Littles, DeWanna Bonner.

Santa's Prospect List

Naughty

Kristi Toliver (Maryland) - Prior to her senior season, Toliver was seen as a probable lottery. However, Toliver and her Maryland team have fallen off the radar and are not making nearly as much noise as they should. Toliver's awful performance against TCU in Maryland's season opener was the first early sign that Toliver was going to have a down season. There's still time, but Toliver's stock is dropping.

Abby Waner (Duke) - Duke seems to have improved from last year, but Waner's shooting has been ho-hum this season. Waner was great early in her career and many WNBA scouts were looking to see if she would return to her pre-McCallie form, but she hasn't. Waner's shot selection is still poor most of the time, and her three point shooting continues to plummet.

Lyndra Littles (Virginia) - Playmaking queen Sharnee Zoll graduated last year, leaving Lyndra Littles a perfect opportunity to get in the spotlight for an up-and-coming Virginia team. However, very early in the season Littles was suspended due to academic issues. Littles could have shown the scouts what type of player she is and could have risen her stock dramatically. Instead, she's not sitting on the bench. Bad move, Lyndra, bad move.

Kia Vaughn (Rutgers) - Remember the days when Kia Vaughn could score? Ah, those were the days. Sadly, many thought this would be Kia's year. Matee Ajavon, who most thought was a ball hog, graduated and with the added youth at the guard positions, many thought Vaughn would be the focus of a Rutgers offense. That hasn't happened, though. Vaughn's numbers our down, as is her confidence. With Vaughn's struggles, Rutgers has even decided to go to Rashidat Junaid instead at times. Ouch.

Nice

Shalee Lehning (Kansas State) - Shalee Lehning has been one of the best stories early in this women's college basketball season. The Kansas State point guard has led her team to a 10-0 record while averaging a near point-assist double double. Lehning also recorded a triple double earlier this year. Point guards are always a need in the WNBA and Lehning's play could catapult her into the first round.

Ashley Walker (California) - With former senior post Devanei Hampton out most of the preseason, Walker carried the load for the Golden Bears. After a strong start to the season, including a whooping of a talented Rutgers team, Walker has been one of the stars on the scene early. Walker has shown she can score, rebound, defend, and shoot from many areas of the floor with regularity. With Walker, California would be in trouble.

Briann January (Arizona State) - Come on! Who doesn't love Briann Janvier?! The WNBA scouts definitely do. January has helped her Arizona State team maintain a Top 25 ranking. January's offense seems to be on the rise, yet she's still defending as she always has. At this point the season, January may be the most consistent and balanced point guard in the bunch.

Angel McCoughtry (Louisville) - Among the projected Top 5 picks, McCoughtry has been by far the most consistent. With the loss of a key post player, McCoughtry has helped the defense and rebounding for the Louisville Cardinals. And McCoughtry is still scoring as she used to. Like Lehning, McCoughtry also has been in the Triple Double Party. McCoughtry's versatility and consistency shows why some people are comparing her to Swoopes.

Another Redshirt of Note

This time it's Nebraska's Kelsey Griffin.

 Griffin was primed for a fantastic fourth and final season, but an ankle injury has halted that back a year. Get well soon, Kelsey! We'll see you next year!

Introducing...Kia Vaughn
It's not every day that you actually hear about a Rutgers post player. I mean, for every Tammy Sutton-Brown, there's a Tasha Pointer, Cappie Pondexter, Matee Ajavon, and Essence Carson. I think you get the point. But Kia Vaughn has been one of the better posts in the nation over the last few years and it has paid off for Rutgers. Earlier this year, she was named to the Wade Preseason Watch List, and for good reason. This is a woman that has helped her team along the road, even to a title game matchup against those Vols from Knoxville. However, this year Vaughn's game as been lacking. Rutgers, at this point, seems to be a work in progress, with those five (now four) fab freshman leading them along the way. Don't get me wrong, Rutgers will still bring their D, but this year, the offense has not been flowing. Especially for Vaughn. Her numbers are down, and even her touches haven't really improved drastically. Vaughn's stock is dropping as we speak, and even though there is still a lot of time, it's time for her to start getting to work and showing us what she can do.

Introducing...Emily Fox

It's hard to fill shoes, especially to fill the shoes of Lindsay Whalen, one of the better guards in the history of the Big Ten. But Emily Fox has put four solid years in and has proven that she us up for the task. Fox, a Colorado native, had big expectations coming out of high school with all eyes on her in just her freshman year. Fox, who was once known to be shy, has really embrased her leadership role and according to fellow Minnesota guard Brittany McCoy, "Her enthusiasm for the game impacts everyone on the team. When you see her shooting every day, it inspires everyone else to go above and beyond. We feel like something's missing if she's not there." In the summer of 2007, Fox was chosen to take part in the Pan Am games and play for the USA. Among those chosen, were some elite prospects who have already begun their WNBA careers. Emily Fox is having a solid season and her Gopher team is as well. She is a strong prospect at the guard position and definitely someone who will be fighting for a roster spot. And if you're scared of her game on the court, see what she does off the court. Fox's game can be summed up in one word...fast.

Introducing...Tudy Reed

Charese 'Tudy' Reed has already moved all over the nation in just her four years as a collegiate. She started out in Rutgers before then heading to Stillwater to play for Oklahoma State. Finally, the Chicago native came back to what felt like home, to Cincinnati Ohio. Xavier coach Kevin McGuff was thrilled to see Reed come his way, and said "Tudy's very talented. Her versatility's very good for us, she can play on the perimeter and she can also be a smaller post player." This year, the senior is expected to add experience to the Xavier team. Earlier this year, Reed helped her Xavier team stay close with a top 25 Louisville team by scoring a game high 31 points. Reed's athleticism and ability to score has been on display so far this season, and it's opening the eyes of WNBA scouts all over the nation.

A Trip Over the Pond... Asia, Pacific, and Brazil, Oh my!

This weeks edition of our foriegn player scouting deals with players from Asian countries, as well as a couple from the Pacific and Brazil.

 First up, there is Bian Lan, a 6'1" guard. She is currently playing for the Jiangsu Phoenix alongside WNBA player Ann Strother. She also played for China in the Olympics, which took place in Beijing. For the tournament, she averaged 11.9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. She shot 40% from the field as well as from the three point line. Bian Lan is an intriguing prospect because she's fundamentally strong and takes contact much better than her Asian counterparts. If Bian can continue to improve her shooting and take contact, I think the WNBA will call her name soon.

Next up, we had a bit North, to South Korea, where Choi Yoon Ah resides. She is currently playing for the Shinhan Bank S-Birds of the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL). Last year, the Washington Mystics were looking to sign Choi, but she elected to stay and train with her National Team prior to the Olympics. It was a good thing she decided to stay because the 5'8" point guard played a huge roll in Korea's finish in Beijing. Choi averaged 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. She shot 50% from three and a stellar 64% from the floor. Choi is a very smart, quick player who knows how to penetrate and create for others. She has also shown that she can take physical play. The point guard position is always a hot commodity in the WNBA, and someone should take a chance on this Korean prospect.

Let's now head south, to New Zealand where we meet Angela Marino. This 5'5"Kiwi has been on the scene for a couple years, in both her play with the New Zealand National Team and her play in Australia's WNBL. She is currently Adelaide Link Lightning where she is currently averaging 14.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She is also shooting 40% from the three. In Beijing, her numbers mirrored her WNBL stats, averaging 15.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Marino is an athletic and pesky player. She's very energetic and will shoot from everywhere. If you're looking for someone to challenge defenders and spread opposing defenses to break defenses, Marino is your girl.

Finally, we head to the beautiful land of Brazil, where Franciele Nascimiento. Franciele, as she is known by in Brazil, is playing for Rivas Ecopolis along side Chicago's Cathy Joens in the Spanish League. Nascimiento is a bit of a project, but she has potential. She is averaging 2.5 points, and 1 rebound in 9 minutes of action. Over the summer, the 6'3" forward played in Beijing for Brazil. In Beijing, she averaged 3.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1 assist. She also shot 45% from the field. Again, Franciele is a project, but she's very athletically gifted and very versatile. She can go inside and out and is a solid defender and rebounder. Many Brazilians have made a jump to the WNBA and Franciele could be the next.      

 

 

Introducing...Julianne Viani
Two years ago, Cinderella reappeared and she was wearing the red of Marist. That's right, two years ago we were introduced to the Marist Red Foxes during their magical run to the Sweet 16, with upsets of Ohio State and Middle Tennessee State. Julianne Viani, a senior guard, has been at the epicenter of this programs' emergence on the National scene. Marist Head Coach Brian Giorgis loves to tease Viani, like the day he picked up the paper and say Viani pumping her fist after one of Marist's upsets. Giorgis replied "Will you look at that? Julianne is cut. Her arms are ripped.'' Though Marist is a small school by athletic standards, Viani and her teammates have shown no fear in going against the nations best. Hudson Valley coach Sherri Abbey-Nowatzki said that "She is a great player and she understands the game. I would take her in a heartbeat. Julianne is a great player." Viani, like her team, is always someone to take account of and watch for. She has shown that she can defend, pass and score from deep. As her team looks to make yet another run in the NCAAs, Viani will be playing for a WNBA pick. No pressure.